Fundraiser held in memory of dressage rider Alice Smith

On June 22 and June 23, the Welsh Dressage Championships were staged in honour of Alice Smith at Little Mill Equestrian in Bronwydd, Carmarthen.

Alice was involved in an accident whilst cycling between Hendy and Llanon in Carmarthenshire.

She was 31 years old when she passed away and was training to compete in a triathlon in Barcelona.

Alice competed at the Petplan Finals. (Image: Laura Slate) Briony Cutler, who met Alice eight years ago, said: “Alice was a wonderful person who would do anything for her horses. The horse-riding community wanted to come together to do something special to remember Alice.

“Alice’s story is very tragic, and we wanted to show her family and friends how much she was loved and respected. She was a real talent.

“Sadly, Alice suffered fatal injuries in a road traffic collision as she cycled to see her horse at the stables and was never able to achieve her dream.

“Alice was on such a long journey to achieving her dressage goals, it was a heartfelt journey and we wanted to create something special in her memory for a lifesaving cause.”

Briony Cutler met Alice eight years ago. (Image: Laura Slate) Alice was dedicated to her craft and highly regarded within the dressage community.

Briony continued: “She started doing dressage with her pony that she had broken in herself and trained him incredibly well.

“They qualified for a big championship called the Petplan Finals, but a month before the event, her horse became ill, and was put to sleep.

“After a couple of months, she started to look for another horse and found one which she had fallen in love with.”

“Alice broke the horse in and started training her, and they qualified for the finals again, but she then had an accident and broke her pelvis so could not compete.

“She went through intense rehabilitation and recovery and qualified for a third time and was due to compete in the middle of March."

The event raised funds for The Wales Air Ambulance Charity which needs £11.2m each year to keep its helicopters in the sky and its rapid response vehicles on the road.

Head of fundraising at Wales Air Ambulance, Mark Stephens said: “We were deeply saddened to hear about Alice’s accident, and our condolences remain with her family and friends at such a difficult time.

“It is clear to see that Alice touched the lives of many, and this is an incredibly special way to commemorate her.”

Over 49,000 missions have been carried out to date since the launch of The Wales Air Ambulance Charity on St. David’s Day 2001.